It is often very important to obtain information, such as weather or traffic information, quickly and accurately while traveling. While driving in a car, for example, one may turn on certain radio stations in order to obtain information relevant to road conditions, traffic conditions and weather. Some services exist that allow users to access certain information with a telephone, either by means of IVR (Interactive Voice Response) or by accessing a telephone operator. Both may require a relatively lengthy negotiation in regards to pinpointing a specific point of geographic interest, such as a section of road that a traveler is approaching or expects to arrive at. As commonly known, specialized devices with Global Satellite Positioning (GPS) receivers are often used to indicate an individual's position within a geographical area. Using the GPS positioning, an operator may be able to provided more relevant data to the traveler that is specific to the then current location of the traveler.
Even with GPS equipment installed, which is quite expensive, a user may still have to communicate and negotiate for what type of data he or she requires from a given service. Moreover, it may be some time before relevant data is rendered available to an operator for relaying to the user. Another problem with an operator-controlled system may arise if there are language barriers preventing clear voice communication. In other cases, maps may be downloaded as well as text data, which may act to distract a user from his or her driving task. Moreover, the data relayed on the maps may be somewhat broad covering a larger region than a user requires information for.
What is clearly needed is a method and system which allows a user to quickly and easily obtain geographically specific accurate weather, traffic reports, and other pertinent information in a safe manner, while driving, without the use of expensive special equipment or having to contend with significant distraction.